1.21.26 – APFA DFW Base Brief – Electronic Communication System (ECS)

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Dear DFW,

As a reminder, operational notifications that were previously available in ONE are now provided through the Electronic Communication System (ECS) and delivered directly to your ECS inbox.

You may choose to receive ECS messages through additional delivery methods, including SMS text, automated phone calls, or email, by adjusting individual message settings within ECS.

Please note that some notifications—such as flight cancellations, flight delays, gate changes, and sign-in reminders—are optional. To receive these messages, you must proactively set your delivery preferences in ECS.

ECS also records timestamps for each message, including items such as Sick Notifications, Crew Portal Reserve Acknowledgements, and Cancellations. These timestamps may be helpful when researching or supporting a dispute. Messages remain viewable in ECS for 90 days.

For Reserves, ECS notifications are sent out for ROTA/ROTD assignments.

We encourage you to review your ECS message settings to ensure you are receiving operational notifications in the manner that best supports you.

Additionally, we want to provide the following reminders for when Reserves are contractually required to acknowledge on Crew Portal:

ROTA:

Once ROTA runs for the following day, you are required to electronically acknowledge sequence and standby assignments by 2230 Home Base Time (HBT), using the acknowledgment button on Crew Portal. The only exception is if you are on a sequence or standby during that timeframe. If on a sequence or standby, you must acknowledge within an hour of release from the sequence or standby.

The company has been issuing missed trips if ROTA assignments are not acknowledged by 2230 HBT. As a reminder, if ROTA assigns you a RAP you do not need to acknowledge the RAP.

ROTD:

If ROTA runs and you are assigned a RAP, any subsequent sequence or standby assignments will be made through ROTD.

If you are given a RAP, you are contractually required to check Crew Portal for an assignment at the start of your RAP. If you have an assignment at the start of your RAP, you are contractually required to electronically acknowledge on Crew Portal.

The only exception is for RAPs that start before 0500. If you are on a RAP that starts before 0500, you are not required to check Crew Portal for an assignment at the start of your RAP. Any ROTD assignments made for Reserves on a RAP that starts before 0500 require a phone call from the company.

Once your RAP starts, regardless of which RAP you are on, the company is required to make a phone call to notify you of a ROTD assignment.

The only change to that requirement was implemented on October 1st: if you electronically acknowledge a ROTD assignment in Crew Portal, regardless of whether the assignment was made before or during your RAP, the company is not required to call to notify you of the assignment.

Respectfully,

Robin Reitz
APFA DFW Base President

Luis Vasquez
APFA DFW Base Vice President

Fierce advocates for over 7,300 DFW Flight Attendants